Why is 'Blonde' Netflix's Marilyn Monroe biopic rated NC-17 instead of TV-MA: Monroe Sex Symbol?

SEATTLE - EntSun -- By: Kevin Sandler, Arizona State University

While the X rating could be also assigned for representations of nudity, violence, language, drug use or overall "tone," this association with hardcore sexual content stigmatized the category's use by serious filmmakers for years.

Valenti hoped renaming the X rating as NC-17 would spur the adults-only rating's use by the film industry. For the most part, it didn't, with a few notable exceptions like "Showgirls" (1995), "Bad Education" (2004) and "Shame" (2011).

Instead, practically all distributors whose films were initially awarded an NC-17 by the Classification and Rating Administration chose one of three options: to re-edit their films down to an R rating, to release an R-rated and unrated version for home video or DVD, or simply to surrender the rating altogether and release the film theatrically without one.

More on EntSun News

• Premieres of 10th Annual NY Dog Film Festival & 8th Annual NY Cat Film Festival on Sunday, October 26, 2025 to Benefit Animal Lighthouse Rescue
• $20 Price Target in Noble Capital Research Report as Deal is Signed for NFL Yearbook Advertising Across 25 Stadiums for AI Powered Sports Leader $SEGG
• 3E Launches First AI Agent Designed to Respond with Empathy for College Recruitment
• Security Alert: TZNXG Warns Investors About "Fund Recovery" Scams
• Assent Unveils Extended Producer Responsibility Packaging Solution to Simplify Compliance with Expanding Packaging Laws

This new wave of sexually frank, and progressive series, according to Variety television writer Joe Otterson, may be one strategy that streaming companies are using to keep subscribers enthralled in an increasingly competitive marketplace. "It might take a little steam to keep the stream," Otterson writes.

http://youtu.be/qClzhQnidmE



https://theconversation.com/why-is-blonde-netflixs-marilyn-monroe-biopic-rated-nc-17-instead-of-tv-ma-185359#amp_tf=From%20%251%24s&aoh=16797207980663&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Ftheconversation.com%2Fwhy-is...